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Want a Healthy Heart? Do the Math!

When you go for your annual physical (and, hopefully, you schedule one!), do you ask your doctor for a copy of your lab work? If you’re even vaguely concerned about your heart health, do you know your numbers?

Or…is the following scenario more likely?

When a lawyer friend in his late 40s told me that his doctor had contacted him about the results of his physical, my curiosity was piqued (given what I do), and I pressed him for specifics. “I don’t know what my cholesterol or anything is,” he said. “My doctor didn’t say anything was wrong—and I didn’t ask. He just told me that I’ve gained 10 pounds since my last physical a year ago,” he confessed, a development that resonated with (and upset) him.

This reaction is all too common; I see it all the time in my practice.

Most of us assume: “I’m healthy—until my doctor tells me otherwise.”

But this assumption can be detrimental to your health.

You’re never “too young” for a heart-healthy lifestyle

If you want a healthy heart, it’s important to know your numbers. Even if you’re in your 20s or 30s, you’re not “too young” to start. Two of my friends who wrestled with heart disease experienced two different outcomes. One—a hard-driving 37-year-old tech entrepreneur, who was motivated to change his diet and a few bad habits after his heart attack—survived. The other, a talented 46-year-old photographer, who lived and ate on-the-run—working long hours and sleeping too little—unexpectedly died of a cardiac arrest during a conference he was attending.

In heart disease research, younger groups (between ages 25-55) have historically been considered “low risk”. This may be changing. In a study published last year in Circulation, researchers tracked heart disease death rates among adults aged 25 years and older. Between 1979 and 2011, heart disease deaths fell dramatically among those over age 65. However, there was considerably less improvement in heart disease death rates among those under age 55, especially for women—attributed to increasing rates of diabetes and obesity in younger adults, as well as non-traditional risk factors, such as stress and depression, common among young women with early-onset heart disease.

Symptoms of inflammation (and why it matters)

The sooner you get familiar with your numbers, the greater your success in lowering—even reversing—your risk for heart disease, as well as other chronic conditions and diseases.

The most relevant numbers are markers of inflammation.

Why? Inflammation is your body’s response to stress—whether from your diet, lifestyle or environment. Think of what happens when you sprain your ankle or burn your hand: you experience immediate pain, swelling and redness.

This kind of acute inflammation is good, but our modern, convenience-oriented lifestyle contributes to an epidemic of chronic, low-grade inflammation that most of us experience in the form of skin disorders (rashes, “adult acne”, eczema, psoriasis), joint aches and pains, chronic headaches, digestive distress, IBS, allergies, or fatigue—our body’s way of communicating with us that things are out of balance.

When your body’s systems experience a constant inflammatory response, you are more susceptible to accelerated aging (internally and externally) and chronic diseases and conditions, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, obesity and arthritis.

One of the main factors contributing to chronic low-grade inflammation are the foods that we eat. When I work with clients, as a first step, I typically have them do a food allergy blood test to see if any foods are triggering an inflammatory response without them realizing it.

Markers of Inflammation: Know your numbers!

You will also want to get familiar with other markers of inflammation (see list below).

Hemoglobin A1c. If you have a family history of diabetes, heart disease or overweight / obesity this is an important number to know. This is a blood test that reflects your average blood sugar level for the past 2-3 months. Optimal is <5.7% (low risk of diabetes). An A1c of 6.5% or higher indicates diabetes.

4. High blood pressure.
Your blood pressure is 135/85 mm Hg OR You are using high blood pressure medicine

5. High fasting blood glucose. *This is a leading indicator of inflammation.
Optimal: your fasting blood glucose is less than 85 mg/dL. Note: most labs define “normal” as under 100 mg/dL.

*Note:If your blood glucose level is between 100 and 125 mg/dL, you have pre-diabetes. At this point, it is still possible — and important —to make diet and lifestyle changes to prevent pre-diabetes from developing into Type 2 diabetes.

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Welcome

Hello…I’m Kathryn Matthews. As a Certified Integrative Nutrition & Hormone Health Coach, I help clients improve their health through diet and lifestyle practices. By living cleaner, greener and leaner, you invite energy, vitality and natural weight loss into your life. Read More

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